St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-09-29
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
Some Impressions OF n Trip Across {
Country.

new field of labor as a teacher in Cali
fornia. From a private letter giving
some impressions of this, his first trip
across the country, the following ex-
tracts are made
The ride across New York, Pennsyl-
vania and Ohio was rough and inter-
rupted. Occasional oil tanks or coal
and iron mines were the only unusual
attractions. We were about two hours
late into Chicago and so didn't have
much time to rest or look around. 1t
is a very dirty, smoky city and the
streets are very rough. / don't re-
member much about the ride through
the Central states save that L wasn't
very favOrably impressed with the
country. 1t was quite level and a
good deal of poor corn seemed to be
about all the land produced. Through
out Indiana, Illinois and Missouri
great deal of sandstone and limestone
is used for building. 1t is of a light
dirt color and looks very soft quite
different from our marble and granite
but they have an abundance of it and
it makes very handsome buildings in
deed.
We crossed the Mississippi at night
and so l didn't see it, but did see the
Missouri, Arkansas and Colorado riv-
ers and the Mississippi is much like
them. Imagine river much larger
than the Connecticut, very much larg
er, flowing along lazily, about on a
level with the surrounding land, and
as dirty as the dirtiest mud puddle you
ever saw, and you have the Missouri.
Imagine it great deal muddier and
you have the Arkansas. Imagine it
red and you have the Colorado. At a
little distance it does not look like a
river at all but like broad winding
strip of red clay with none of the glis-
ten and sparkle which make the rivers
of the East look so cool and beautiful
when seen from an elevation. The
Colorado was much swifter where we
crossed it than the Arkansas or Mis-
souri,. Higher up i'll Colorado and
New Mexico are rivers which are still
muddier till in many cases they form
strips of quicksand in which little wa
ter is found. So much for rivers.
At Kansas City we changed cars
again. The beauty and activity of
Kansas was a marvel to me unequalled
till 1 reached Los Angeles Let me
quote little from my diary:
"1I.3O Thurs. a. m.-We are now
passing through region of sunf1Owers
not such as grow in the East, but
trees as tall as the top of the cars, and
it grows thick over acres and acres of
land. For miles their huge yellow
blossoms densely line the track. All
through this region and for day or
two back the corn grows from 10 to Is
feet high on the average and one may |
ride for miles with continuous corn
fields on either side. Last night we
crossed the Mississippi and awOke this
morning to look ont on more level
stretches of corn land just lighted by
the approaching sun. 1t was beauti-
full sight and the sunrise was quite pc
culiar. AS l was gazing off across the
scene and wondering how far l could
see, suddenly the sun seemed to hop
up high into the sky. 1t looked a cOu
pie of hours high and it is very level |
region with not hill for Thousand |
miles, l dare say. The trees, too, for
a day or two, have been few and far
between. AS we approached Kansas
City, however, and since then the land
is trifle more rolling and wooded"
One cannot appreciate fully the size
of Kansas (and for that matter of the
U. S. till he has ridden rapidly over
it for hour after hour all day and so for
whole days and nights before he comes
to the other side. Thousands of acres
of rich, fertile soil lie untouched in the
west of this state. Cities are coming
up with a wonderful rapidity. Broad
parallel streets with horse cars are
laid out for miles before any houses
are built and electric lights shine upon
herds of grazing cattle! A few small,
One-story wooden houses are fast being
replaced by fine stores, blocks and res
licences. Stone churches, banks and
schools may be seen here and there al
most isolated upon the prairie but con-
nected by horse-car lines lighted by
electric lights which lead through
camps of the prairie dogs. Such are
the Kansas cities.
From Kansas city there is very
0rod,roI hut Stao6y oaoaDt fill in CoIn |
RADIO an altitude of several thousand
feet is reached-at La Junta pro
nOunced La HOOnta over 1000 feet.
From this point the ascent is more
rapid till at Ration the elevation is
nearly 1000 feet. Before La Junta is
reached the Spanish peaks of the Rocky
may be seen and it is relief after the
evel prairies and bottom land, which
extend for two thousand miles over the
central region. From this point the
changes abruptly. The course
turns more to the south and we rapid
" approach the mOuntains-as rapidly
Is engineering can effect mountain
And such grades! Again
and again crossing the highest passes
the grade reaches about 200 feet to the
mile! You know the grade from ST.
to Danville is considered
pretty heavy but that is only about 65
Or 20 feet. Five lofty ranges we cross
I'd amid some of the Orandest scenery
his country possesses. Winding
about in rapid ascents and descents the